“Striking Up Goals”: Boys’ Varsity Soccer Sees Successes This Season.

Since the first whistle echoed across the Cambridge pitch in January, the boys’ varsity soccer team has been steadily achieving a higher win record.

With three-quarters of the season over, the varsity team boasts an imposing 10-1 record. They’ve beaten several significant opponents, including Roswell, Pope and Milton.

Varsity boys have done considerably well in the previous years. Last season was their previous best, with a 14-5-1 record.

However, with only six games left, this is the best season varsity boys have ever had. Their only loss came in Friday’s 1-0 loss to Alpharetta.  

Defender Ethan Rose, a junior, said, “This year, the difference has been that we’ve taken it one game at a time, one team at a time.”

Rose said the team’s motto this year is to “find its identity as a team, and not as individuals.”

Men’s Varsity Soccer Head Coach Bryan Wallace said this season the team has focused on specific skills, such as perfecting a cross to a teammate so that teammate can smash it into the top right corner of the goal.

Wallace also said the team is no longer reinforcing basics; rather, it’s building up lacking areas and fortifying styles of play.

“The level of expectation has gone up every year,” said Wallace.

With the season going so well, the state tournament is on the minds of many players. To qualify for state, a team must be among the top four in its region.

Wallace said he believes varsity will qualify for state but knows it will be a challenge, as some of the most skillful teams in Georgia are in Cambridge’s region. Last year’s state champs, Cherokee, is one of those such teams.

Varsity had a scheduled game against Cherokee on Tuesday. Due to field conditions, Cherokee was forced to cancel the match.

One of the largest challenges the team has had to overcome is injuries. There have been few games during which the entire team was in perfect health, with the Pope game being one of them.

During the Johns Creek game, three starters were out. Still, the team managed to pull out a 1-0 victory.

Junior Jaber Obeid, who plays forward, said he is optimistic about the remainder of the season. “ I think if we continue to give it our all, and play as a team, we’ll have a great season,” he said.

They’ve had a great season, but varsity boys still have three conference matches against Northview, North Atlanta and Chattahoochee.

Wallace said he expects his team to beat Northview and North Atlanta, as they have records of 3-4-2. Chattahoochee, with a record of 8-0-2, is expected to be more difficult.